Tag: Wasp-on-the-Wind

It’s the season of thanks, so we would like to take a moment to acknowledge a handful of our authors with a heartfelt thank you for all they accomplished in 2018. We publish over a thousand books every year and have hundreds upon hundreds of successful authors worthy of commendation. But that would make this article hundreds of pages long, so if we’re not able to mention you personally, please know our thanks and appreciation extend to you, as well. Keep up the great work in 2019!

January

In January, the spotlight was on Katherine S. Egan, author of Genetics Isn’t Everything. She went on to win a first place EVVY Award in August, which she was able to accept in person at the banquet in Denver, Colorado. She subsequently became one of three finalists in the 2018 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year Awards. Thank you, Katherine!

February

In February, Jackie Fischer won first place (and a new laptop computer) in our annual “Show Us Your Love” video contest, which celebrates both Valentine’s Day and self-publishing. Not only is she the author of The Lost Branch but, as she demonstrates in her video, she’s quite adept at rhyme, as well! Thank you, Jackie, for the fantastic video and the fantastic book!

March

Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Wineberg hit our Top 10 Bestsellers List in March with her inspiring and triumphant autobiography, Unwavering Perseverance. Even more impressive, she earned a Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympic Games in the 4×400 relay after overcoming obstacle after obstacle. “Always strive for your dreams,” she encourages. Thank you for the words of motivation, Mary! You’re a true inspiration!

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April

The Annual Benjamin Franklin Awards are notoriously competitive, so it was no small feat when Dr. Jeanne Blanchet won a Silver Medal Award for Historical Fiction in April with her novel Man at the Cross Road. Proving herself to be anything but a one-trick pony, she quickly followed that up with an EVVY Award for her following book, Cursed. Thank you, Jeanne, for making the trip to Denver to accept your award in person and meeting some of our executive team.

May

We acknowledged the writing career of one of our most prolific authors in May when Jerry Snodgrass stepped into our monthly spotlight. Jerry has published 10 books with Outskirts Press (so far!) and was born in Butler, Missouri, in 1938. He was raised and went to school in Indianola, Iowa. He entered the military after graduating from high school in 1957 and fulfilled his dreams of serving in the military and traveling to exotic locations. He married Elizabeth Fleming in the 1960s and they had two children. The family traveled extensively during his military career before settling down in Killeen, Texas, in 2002. Thank you, Jerry, for your service and your books of valor.

June

Kevin I.J.A. Barnett Sr. went on a whirlwind virtual book tour in June for his debut book, a provocative and autobiographical examination of the United States Foster Care and Adoption System. As the author of Living My Shadows, Kevin is a retired, noncommissioned officer in the United States Army. He has served in Germany, Afghanistan and in many stateside tours during his career. He is married to Sharon F. Pelham and does motivational speaking when time permits. Thank you, Kevin, for your service and for having the courage to share such significant moments of your life for the assistance of others.

July

In July, prolific novelist Gabriel F.W. Koch learned that he was once again a finalist in the Colorado Independent Publishers Association EVVY Awards. He walked away with a Second Place EVVY Award a couple years ago for his science fiction novel Paradox Effect (not to mention an Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year nomination). This year he picked up an EVVY Merit Award for Emma and the Dragon Tooth Sword. He has published four books thus far with Outskirts Press, including his latest: And Come Day’s End. Thank you, Gabriel, for all your wonderful, award-winning books.

August

Speaking of science fiction, C.R. Norris discovered that she won First Place in the Science Fiction category, for her book Wasp on the Wind, when the EVVY Awards Banquet took place in Denver on August 25, 2018. Wasp on the Wind is Book 2 in her Wasp Chronicles Series. She subsequently was nominated to be one of three finalists in the highly coveted Best Book of the Year Awards. C.R. Norris is a perpetual student of science and mathematics. Born in Salina Kansas, her varied career has included experience as a musician, a blood banker, and an electrical engineer in the semiconductor industry. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she indulges her passions for green chile, playing music and writing.

September

And it all led up to this, when the 2018 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year was announced. This year, the honor, the award and the $1,500 Grand Prize went to T.D. Arkenberg for his biographical take on the events leading up to, and following in the shadows of, September 11. Two Towers is his fourth book but his first memoir. Thank you, T.D., for letting us experience this tragic event from such an unfiltered perspective.

October

In October we recognized our 50 bestselling authors for 2018. It takes more than a marvelous literary work to achieve success as an author; it takes the gumption and drive to promote that work to readers! To you, we extend not only our congratulations but our thanks for allowing Outskirts Press to help you reach this successful milestone!

Kevin Muldowney

Aage Nost

Will Kautz

Rasha Pecoraro

Michael McNamara

Tui Rose

Lisa A. Romano

Mohamed Elgendy

Mary Casey

Asif Anwar

Vil Mirzayanov

Brian Petit

L. Veach

Bill McClain

Mike Gillette

Tom Bisio

Mirtha Castro

Mary Allison

Matthew DiGeronimo

Rebecca Janes

Amy Pierotti

Halo Lewis

Jane McConnell

Jane Ostrow

Jill Jackson

Bernard Nebel

Don Petterson

Alex Cuoco

Ed Robinson

Adrienne Anderson

Scott Imhoff

Diana Arcieri

Patrick O’Connor

Tiffany Anderson

Joseph Adegboyega-Edun

Kathryn M. Mora

Bernard Nebel

Jeffrey Howe

Magdaline DeSousa

Steve Kelley

Michael Goodroe

Hal Perkins

Jokima Hiller

Rodney DuBose

Lisa Cicero

Amy Meadows

Heidi Herman

Paul Kotz

Luis Roman

Seth Spreiter

And the year isn’t over yet. November and December are the biggest months of the year for book sales, so keep those marketing efforts going! And “Thank You” to all our amazing authors for making 2018 another banner year for self-publishing.

Want your book to be the next big prize-winner? Find out more about marketing, promoting and submitting your book for awards and reviews.

At Outskirts Press, Inc., we take great pride in celebrating the work of our successful self-publishing authors, and we do so each week through our Self-Publishing Author Spotlight. This week we highlight self-publishing author C.R. Norris, who has published two successful titles with Outskirts Press.

Learn more about C.R. Norris and her published works through this week’s Self-Publishing Author Spotlight.About the Author:

C.R. Norris is a perpetual student of science and mathematics. Born in Salina Kansas, her varied career has included experience as a musician, a blood banker, and an electrical engineer in the semiconductor industry. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she indulges her passions for green chile, playing music, and writing.

The Wasp’s Nest: Book I of the Wasp Chronicles

Two 21st-Century Teenagers Discover Their Strengths in an Apocalyptic Future…

Chris has never thought of herself as anyone special—she’s a band geek, and she’s happily on her way to a high school marching band contest when suddenly she finds herself standing in the middle of an unknown desert. Is this a hallucination from the bottle of tequila that the teenagers enjoyed the night before? If it’s a hangover, it’s worse than anything she could have imagined…her band uniform causes her to be mistaken for an enemy soldier. Chris is rescued by a rag-tag band of resourceful tribal people who call themselves Taders. She is taken to their home, Tojoba, where she is told that she has been “rifted”—pulled through time into the future. She finds that several other band members were dragged through as well, including her best friend, Bruce. But rescue by the Taders comes at a price: the teenagers must be accepted by mentors, and submit to training. Chris is accepted, but Bruce is rejected back to the wilderness. Both of them will find strengths they never dreamed they had, as they gradually uncover the tangled and shocking mysteries of humanity’s future…where each of them is destined to play a key role on opposite sides of an epic conflict. Richly imagined, beautifully characterized, and deeply engaging, The Wasp’s Nest will leave you eager for the upcoming second book in The Wasp Chronicles.

The saga continues as a future apocalyptic world begins to reveal its secrets . . .

2018 BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD – FINALIST
EVVY AWARD WINNER – 1st PLACE

Chris, now a Trax, was what the West Sand Command called “a greeny.” Her “Before Time,” that time before she had been rifted, had been from a distant past, and perhaps even a different timeline. Who could say . . .? But after some three years of training and a return to the very group who had rescued her from the desert, her “Now Time” circle was complete . . . with one adjustment, she was now also “Det Arju′” She carried with her a mysterious pendant that she had been ordered to present to Lon, the Tagos of the Choe, an assignment that, as of yet, no West Sand Commander was aware. Bruce, Chris’s friend, and fellow “Before Time” band geek, was rejected by the Trax. While Chris trained, his path hooked him to the side of the Taden’s greatest nemesis, the Captain. Now as his lieutenant, he must help the Captain save his command by aiding him in the capture of Ponopin, a genius Tader entrepreneur, and the Brigade’s greatest thorn. But as fate would have it, neither mission is as easy as it sounds, the tangle of circumstances sending Chris and Bruce on a collision course with each other. Richly imagined, beautifully characterized, and deeply engaging, Wasp on the Wind will leave you clamoring for the upcoming third book in The Wasp Chronicles series.

Last week, we were proud to announce to you the three finalists for this year’s Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year awards. Since then, the finalists have been showing us their impressive marketing chops – reaching out to fans on social media, making appearances and promoting their book like pros to win your votes.

Now it is time to pick a winner. We’re in the final hours, and we need your vote today to determine which of these talented authors has proven they have the author platform and promotional muscle to take top honors as the Grand Prize winner, and take home the $1,500 Grand Prize for Best Book of the Year.

So, take one last look at these worthy contenders, and then scroll down to the poll to place your vote for the 2018 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year!

FINALIST: Two Towers by T. D. Arkenberg

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

FINALIST: Genetics Isn’t Everything by Katherine S. Egan

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

FINALIST: Wasp on the Wind by C. R. Norris

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

The public poll for Best Book of the Year closes at 5:00 PM (MST) on Friday, September 14th.

Are you ready to start your own self-publishing journey? We can help deliver an award-worthy publication to you! If you need help choosing your best self-publishing option, you can connect with Outskirts Press now:

Just days ago, we announced the three finalists in this year’s Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year awards. All three finalists were 1st place winners of a 2018 CIPA EVVY Award; those annual awards, sponsored by the Colorado Independent Publishers Association (CIPA) and the CIPA Education and Literacy Foundation (ELF), were announced late last month and recognize some of the finest works of independent authors in dozens of book categories.

The time has come to vote on which of these talented authors have built an author platform and worked up the promotional muscle to acquire Outskirts Press’ top honors through a head-to-head competition! The Best Book of the Year Grand Prize winner and $1,500 Grand Prize winnings will be awarded based on the results of a live public poll … which is where you come in!

Our three finalists couldn’t be more different, and you’ll find summaries of each book below. So, study your choices, order their books, visit their webpages and social media, watch their book trailer videos and cast your vote. Voting is easy! Simply scroll down to the poll, below, to place your vote for the book you think deserves our top honors in the 2018 Outskirts Press Best Book of the Year competition!

FINALIST: Two Towers by T. D. Arkenberg

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

FINALIST: Genetics Isn’t Everything by Katherine S. Egan

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video, and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

FINALIST: Wasp on the Wind by C. R. Norris

Visit the blog posting to read the synopsis, learn more about the author, watch the video and visit the author’s webpage. Opens in a new window.

The public poll for Best Book of the Year closes at 5:00 PM (MST) on Friday, September 14th.

Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you:

Congratulations to our three finalists for the Outskirts Press 2018 Best Book of the Year award: Two Towers by T.D. Arkenberg, Genetics Isn’t Everything by Katherine S. Egan and Wasp on the Wind by C.R. Norris. These works are impressive and it’s going to be an interesting sprint to the finish!

All three books took home awards from this year’s EVVY Awards, qualifying the authors for Outskirts Press highest honor! Remember, only one book can win — so look into your choices, order their books and cast your vote. Polls will open September 10 through September 14th 5:00 PM Mountain Time.

So, come back on Monday, Sept. 10, to cast your vote for the book you believe to be the best of the three.

Meet Your Third Finalist

Wasp on the Wind

An epic saga unfolds as a future apocalyptic world begins to reveal its secrets … Chris was what the West Sand Command called “a greeny.” But after some three years of training and a return to the very group who had rescued her from the desert, her “Now Time” circle was complete — with one adjustment: She was now carried with her a mysterious pendant that she had been ordered to present to Lon, the Tagos of the Choe, an assignment that, as of yet, no West Sand Commander was aware.

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About Author C.R. Norris

C.R. Norris is a perpetual student of science and mathematics whose varied career has included experience as a musician, a blood banker and an electrical engineer. Although she has written some technical scientific papers, this is her first foray into science fiction. She currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she indulges her passions for green chile, playing music and writing.

Are you ready to publish your own award-winning book and perhaps find yourself in the running for next year’s Best Book of the Year award? Connect with Outskirts Press now in whatever manner is easiest for you: